SOME BLOG FAVOURITES

SOME PHOTO FAVOURITES

Motherships, Alien Worlds and Intensified Laser Battles!

So, with May hurtling towards us and the daunting prospect of yet another UK election looming, it occurred to me that Kaleidoscope Man has now
officially been in Post Production for nearly 6 months.

SIX MONTHS!!!! What the hell have we been up to…?

Well actually, the term ‘Post Production’ is a bit of a generalisation, considering we haven’t really started
work on the sound or music yet or even “locked picture”. However, we are now a significant way through the CGI and FX’s work and thankfully, it’s looking quite spectacular.

But take it from me, creating high quality special effects with a small, yet talented and passionate team is
taking a lot of time and patience. I also don’t want to lock the picture until all the FXs are in place and we can experience the movie exactly as the audience will experience it. That way we can
tweak it accordingly.

FX’s aside though, I really do believe that people will be very moved and inspired by this film; the characters
draw you in, the story twists and turns and I’m confident you will feel moved and inspired by the end of it. A close-up on a character’s face can hold huge power, as behind a pair of eyes you
find a lifetime full of stories.

If the actor gets this right, the audience will just feel it and no special effect, however good, can move you in the same way. Even now, without
the FX’s and music in place you can already feel the emotion throughout the movie.

Our composer is waiting in the wings and is very excited about getting started on the music. I think it will be quite a few months yet though
before he can properly get to work but I can’t wait to see the film with a proper orchestral music score.

Ian Whiston (our 3d animator) has been working hard on the
mothership and it is looking tremendous.

The brief for Ian was to imagine that the mothership is the size of America and it sits between the Earth and
the Moon (so it’s fairly big!). The 3d model has been built in Maya and Ian has spent weeks working with Z-Brush, carefully sculpting it and adding tiny details so it looks like it is
covered in cities and alien landscapes.

Now the model is complete we are creating the actual shots required. Ian is currently lighting them and I am just so excited about this - it’s
going to look amazing!!

Our CGI Compositor, Lukas Remis, has been working on the alien planet scenes making them look.... well, more alien! These are the sequences we filmed in
Lanzarote back in Jan 2016.

To start with, Lukas has created a 3d shattered planet which stretches through the sky and is surrounded by
giant fragments of rock and planet debris which is lit by a nearby sun.

As the alien planet scenes are set in daylight hours, the shattered moon hangs in the sky, very much like our own moon. Lukas has tracked the shattered moon with
the volcanic surface so that it appears to be in one place, even when the camera moves. It looks really good!!

Finally, I have spent months blending in the CGI spaceships which swarm over the Earth and attack our cities.
(Ships designed by Henry Strong and built and animated by Ian Whiston).

These really are looking great and after nearly four years, finally seeing the combination of the crowds, tanks
and soldiers all locked in a ferocious battle with the alien Harvesters is pretty fulfilling!

So, we still have a lot of mountains to climb but if all goes to plan we hope to have the picture locked by July (2017). Then it’s the sound effects, music score and picture grade left to finish…

Thank you for all the moral support over the last few years on Facebook, Twitter and via the website. I really want this to be a movie that leaves folk feeling like I felt when I first saw the
original Star Wars, The Shawshank Redemption, it’s a wonderful life and Back to the Future – in a British movie kind of way. I know that’s ambitious, but if I can achieve something even close to
this – I will live out my twilight years as a happy man!!

I can't give you enough praise for your continued stamina and determination. I'm sure it will be a great film when it's finished. Can't wait to see it.

Best wishes

Graham

#2

Carolyn Sames(Monday, 24 April 2017 08:44)

Hello Simon!
It's hard to express how very impressed I am of you for following through with your long term dream, and sharing it with us all! The film looks absolutely fantastic! Hope to see you at the premiere!!

Wow!! Mind blowing blog!!! Seriously, well done Simon, it looks spectacular! Loving the new FX and the whole look of Kaleidoscope Man. I can't wait to sit down in the cinema and start watching this
movie!!

#5

Wayne(Monday, 24 April 2017 13:45)

Just a few more hurdles to go Simon, this film has success writen all over it.
The distributors will be fighting for the writes of this film, you have put in so
much graft you deserve the eqivilent of the George Cross, in the film industry.
Can not wait to see the end product.

Awesome blog Simon , great work by the team and one step closer every day ��
Proud to be part of the team
Best
Phil

#7

Diana(Monday, 24 April 2017 18:06)

Simon, so so close now. Eager to see the results. Thanks for keeping all of your fans updated. Wonderful cast and a dedicated crew. Not long now and I shall be back from my holidays to see it all
happen.